𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 ✼ 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 ⁴

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎

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A week had passed since Clint returned from working with Captain America to stop some madman from using other Winter Soldiers to take over the world. He didn't tell Alex much about what happened to Charlie, only that she was somewhere safe and far away from the government's reach. Even though that helped a little, the Easton girl couldn't help but feel that something was off. The older girl wouldn't just leave her here, especially not after promising not to.

Like every other day since she first arrived at the farmhouse, Alex woke up at the crack of dawn with the sound of a rooster right outside her window. An irritated sigh passed over her lips as she rolled out of bed before not-so-gracefully landing on her feet. After stretching out all the kinks that formed throughout the night, the speedster made her way into the bathroom to finish her morning routine. She quickly brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail before going downstairs to join the Barton family for breakfast.

"Morning, Alex," Cooper greeted with a smile as she sat down next to him before Laura placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of her, "do you wanna help Lila and I paint the shed today?"

"Sure! Sounds like fun," the Easton girl responded right as she caught Clint watching the two of them with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the Barton man said while wiping his hands off on a napkin and leaving the room. Alex exchanged a confused look with Laura before the woman's husband came back into the dining room with a box in his hands. A wave of curiosity washed over the redhead as Clint set the package down on the empty chair next to Alex. "That came this morning for you. Says it's from New York."

The Easton girl's eyebrows came together in confusion before she looked down at the address on the box. Her blood ran cold as soon as she finished reading the familiar address then her gaze went down to the name of the sender. Chase Brighton. Without thinking, Alex glanced up to meet the Barton man's gaze, only to find him returning her stare with a small smile on his face. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she returned her attention to the plate in front of her while her mind raced with a million thoughts.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence with an occasional conversation taking place here and there. As soon as everyone finished eating, Alex helped Cooper and Lila with the dishes before grabbing the mystery box and rushing upstairs to her room. The Easton girl quickly closed the door behind her then placed the box on her bed and used a small pair of scissors from the desk to cut the tape. Her fingers tightly gripped the flaps of the box before she slowly opened it to reveal a flip phone neatly placed in the middle of black fabric next to a folder filled with official-looking papers. Her eyes scanned over the contents of the box then she reached for the device in the center.

Alex flipped it open once it was in her hands to see only one button in the center. Charlie's symbol. The Easton girl pressed the button without an ounce of hesitation before a bright red light appeared out of nowhere and scanned her thumb. A beeping sound followed the scan when it was complete before the screen turned on and it started to call the person who she'd been constantly thinking about these last few weeks.

"Hello?" the speedster said into the phone once the ringing stopped, only to hear laughter on the other side followed by a relieved sigh.

"Hey, Alex," Charlie responded as a huge grin began to grow on Alex's face, "I don't know how much time we have to talk so I need you to listen carefully. I'm really sorry about this, but you're not gonna see me for a while because of what I did to help Steve. You can text me any time using this phone though but only call if it's an emergency. I was told it can't be traced but I don't wanna take any chances. That's why I'm not telling you anything about where I am. I know I'm rushing but does everything make sense so far?"

"Yeah, I understand," the Easton girl told her while scanning over the documents that came with the phone, "why did you send me a new birth certificate and other documents with a different name on them?"

"Because I was questioned about you. They know about you and what HYDRA did to you but, fortunately, they don't know what you look like," she explained, causing the speedster's body to become a statue as she listened to the archer continue, "to make sure they can't find you, we changed your legal name. I know you didn't wanna change it but it's for your safety. We can always change it back once they aren't looking for you."

"No, it's okay. It's just gonna take some getting used to," Alex whispered before placing the folder of papers in one of her desk drawers. After letting out a long breath, she made her way back over to her bed and sat down next to the box to study the black fabric. "What's this last thing you sent me?"

"Don't freak out but I asked some of the scientists here if they could make that for you. I wanted you to have something just in case you changed your mind. There should be specially made accessories to go with it. I'm gonna need to hang up soon but there's someone who wants to talk to you really quickly. Hang on."

As the Easton girl continued to scan over the last item in the box, she listened to shuffling and an inaudible conversation taking place on the other side of the phone. Her fingers grazed over the smooth surface placed on the chest as her eyes studied the silver symbol. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something to Charlie, it snapped shut when she heard a familiar voice she never thought she'd hear again.

"Hey, Dria. Long time no see," Pietro said before tears began to form in her eyes while she stared out the window as if expecting the two of them to appear in the distance.

"How is this possible? How are you...how are you alive?" Alex asked while her grip around the phone became so tight she was surprised it didn't shatter into a million pieces.

"I ask myself that same question every day," he responded before his familiar laugh filled her ears before it slowly faded, "I'm so sorry that Wanda and I left you. We tried to come back for you but we couldn't find you. We should've tried harder."

"I forgave the two of you a long time ago."

"I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully, we'll see you soon."

After saying goodbye to two of the people who changed her life, Alex ended the call before placing the phone on her nightstand. Another long breath passed over her lips as her fingers ran over the black fabric again then she carefully took the piece of clothing out of the box. Her eyes continued to scan over the clothing as she placed it on her bed to study the silver tornado symbol in the center of the chest. Her attention then left the suit and landed on the mask that would cover the top half of her face next to a pair of black boots that look more high-tech than anything she'd ever seen before.

When she finished looking everything over one last time, Alex asked herself a question she never thought would cross her mind. Should she try to be a hero?

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